The afternoon in Virelith was meant to be quiet.

  Mr. Pael sat at the head of a long table during a meeting.

  “And beyond that, we each need to consider our requests for material from the Eastern front for now—”

  A loud crash echoed through the building.

  Mr. Pael bit his lip and tensed his fist.

  “—as I was saying, the requests—”

  Another crash.

  Mr. Pael’s eyes slowly widened.

  The floorboards creaked as the room went silent for a moment.

  He inhaled slowly.

  “As I was—”

  A third crash, even louder than the last.

  Mr. Pael stood up sharply.

  “Right!”

  He stormed out of the room.

  As he passed the guards stationed at the door, he said firmly, “Both of you. With me. Now.”

  They stepped into the streets of Virelith.

  The city looked unusually calm, people simply going about their day, but the sound of crash after crash continued to echo from the plaza.

  Mr. Pael muttered under his breath, “I swear, Caelan, Solara will have your head for whatever this is.”

  The guards cleared a path through the crowd gathered around the plaza entrances.

  Braen suddenly came crashing into the ground right in front of him.

  “SUCK IT, BEAUTIFUL!” Keira shouted from somewhere in the plaza.

  Mr. Pael rolled his eyes and stepped over Braen.

  “RIGHT—”

  A loud whistle cut him off.

  Solara stood on top of a ladder in the middle of the plaza.

  She turned and pointed directly at him.

  “In or out. Don’t enter the area if you’re not playing, Mr. Pael.”

  Mr. Pael walked toward the ladder while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

  Across the plaza, Keira was chasing Caelan in wide circles.

  “Sis, you heard the whistle!” Caelan shouted while running.

  “No whistle can stop me now! Get back here!” Keira yelled.

  Mr. Pael reached the ladder.

  Every member of the Revolutionary Army stood around the plaza as if they’d been caught committing a crime.

  Solara spoke sharply. “What can I do for you today, Mr. Pael?”

  Mr. Pael sighed. “Lieutenant, honestly, I never expected you to be in the middle of this outright madness. What are you doing and why are you allowing this?”

  Solara smiled slightly. “Well, the paperwork was in order, so here we are. Sorry if we’re making too much noise.”

  One of the plaza walls crumbled behind her.

  Mr. Pael stared. “What are you all even doing this time?”

  Lyra walked past and gently smacked the back of Mr. Pael’s head.

  “The Grand War Tag Championships,” she said. “What can I expect from a cheap knock?off of our amazing lieutenant. No wonder Aurex is always crying.”

  Mr. Pael side?eyed her. “He doesn’t cry that much.”

  Lyra casually looked toward a pile of rubble in one corner of the plaza.

  Aurex was half buried in it.

  Mr. Pael turned back to Solara. “Well, I did expect more from you, Lieutenant. Can we please meet in my office?”

  “Fine,” Solara replied. “I’ll be there when we are done.”

  Mr. Pael opened his mouth to speak again.

  Solara cut him off with a loud whistle.

  “Captain! Watch your speed. I won’t tell you again!”

  Across the plaza, Caelan sprinted past, Keira right behind him.

  “Well, get this insane lunatic away from me!” Caelan shouted.

  “I’m going to lick the tears, bro! Don’t try to run from it!” Keira yelled.

  Caelan laughed until he was suddenly jerked into the air feet first.

  He dangled there for a moment.

  “Please, Katie, don’t do it!” Caelan shouted while wiggling helplessly.

  Katie sat quietly in the corner with a small smirk. “Well… you deserve it.”

  “Noooo!”

  Keira grinned and leapt into the air.

  Her hand cracked across Caelan’s face.

  He spun slowly in mid?air.

  Keira landed and pumped her fist. “Whoa! That was a beast.”

  Katie tried to hide a laugh.

  Caelan hung there, pouting.

  “Ow,” he muttered.

  From the ladder, Solara called out, “Only Artimage, Garron, and Mynxi remain!”

  From somewhere behind the crowd, Elyria shouted, “Two to one on Mynxi! Get your bets in, no refunds as per!”

  Someone in the crowd yelled, “How much for the tall one?”

  “Six to one! A total steal!” Elyria replied.

  Artimage ran past her shouting, “You know if any of you want to win, you should bet on—”

  Takeshi, Aidan, Corwin, and Jett tackled him to the ground.

  “OW! I was going to say bet on— no, no, no don’t—”

  Braen came flying in with an elbow drop.

  The ground beneath the pile shattered.

  Under a unified muffled groan from the crowd, Elyria shouted, "Down to the last two! Evens on Mynxi—four to one on the big guy!"

  Caelan came rushing straight into Garron, who barely moved from his spot, letting the grinning captain fly right past him.

  Solara blew the whistle.

  "No!" Caelan shouted, throwing his hands up.

  Solara stood on top of the ladder looking directly at him. She paused for a moment before announcing, "Captain disqualified."

  "Utter bull call! No fair!" Caelan shouted.

  Garron laughed cheerfully as Caelan slowly pouted and walked toward the ladder, mumbling to himself and kicking a rock along the ground while the crowd laughed.

  "Three to one on the big guy now! Get your bets in!" Elyria shouted.

  "ELYRIA, WILL YOU STOP GAMBLING!" Solara shouted back.

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  A moment later, Elyria could be heard whispering, "Get your bets in." A small huddle formed around her again.

  Solara blew the whistle again while Bella and Hector tried to tag Garron from every angle.

  Garron calmly stepped aside each time.

  "Chief, don't be a big meany," Bella complained.

  Hector jumped for another tag attempt. "Babe, you need to understand the chief wants Mynxi to earn it. Don't you see?"

  Bella paused and smiled. "Oh, honey, always so thoughtful."

  "Chief, you want to increase your wager?" Elyria called.

  Garron suddenly avoided eye contact and stared at the ground.

  "You asshole! Let Mynxi win!" Bella shouted.

  Caelan finally reached Solara and leaned against the notice board beside the ladder.

  "Chief seems to be moving a little better these days," Solara said quietly.

  "Well, we each have our own style of teaching, Lieutenant," Caelan replied casually.

  Solara looked down at him. "You mean Elyria. And she's right. Are you balding?"

  Caelan started pouting again. "Shut it, Sparkles."

  Across the plaza, Mynxi ran around with Milo, Veyra, and Lumi, chasing her playfully.

  "Stop making silly faces, Uncle Milo, Auntie says your face will stick," Mynxi laughed.

  Milo made another exaggerated face. "What, like this?"

  Mynxi laughed again before calling back, "Granny Veyra, you can rest if you want!"

  Veyra deflated instantly. "Why am I a granny? I'm not even the oldest."

  Lumi snickered quietly. "Mynxi, I'm going to get you!"

  Veyra suddenly changed direction and jumped at Lumi. "Don't you laugh at me when you're dressed like that! And how many of those idiotic hats do you own?"

  Lumi lay on the ground thinking for a moment. "Well... eighty?two, I think. One for each occasion."

  Veyra stopped completely. "So weird. Every one of us."

  Lyra came running past, completely focused on Mynxi.

  She caught up beside Milo.

  "No, Lyra, please," Milo said.

  Lyra stared forward without blinking. "Sorry, Milo. I need to."

  They were all running at the same speed now, with Mynxi staying just ahead.

  "What did he offer you?" Milo asked.

  Lyra grinned. "Chief offered me a promotion if I helped him out. Come on, Mynxi, it's your favourite auntie. Come to Auntie."

  Mynxi turned while running and stuck out her tongue.

  Lyra turned to Milo with puppy dog eyes. "Please help me, Milo."

  Keira came running in, screaming, and tackled Lyra and Milo straight into the wall.

  "Lieutenant! Master Sergeant is breaking the rules again!" Lyra shouted.

  "Run! Your favourite auntie's got your back!" Keira yelled.

  Mynxi ran past, giggling. "Love you, Auntie Keira!"

  Solara blew the whistle sharply. "Master Sergeant disqualified!"

  Keira let go and skipped back toward the centre of the plaza. "Worth it," she said quietly.

  Lyra climbed up from the ground and turned back to Milo before running again. "Just you wait until we talk about this."

  Milo sat there half-buried in the wall, completely drained. "Yeah, I'm the bad guy here. Why do I bother?"

  He let out a long breath.

  Lyra took off again, fully focused on Mynxi.

  She began to close the distance.

  Mynxi ran toward Garron, Bella, and Hector.

  "Auntie Bella, I love your hair today. Can you show me how to do it? Pretty please?"

  Bella melted on the spot.

  Hector reached for Garron as Garron prepared to step back, noticing Bella about to fall into him.

  Hector pivoted to catch Bella instead, moving behind Garron while Lyra closed in from behind Mynxi.

  Mynxi jumped onto Hector's shoulders and bounced off.

  Lyra screamed as she crashed straight into Garron.

  They all fell into a tangled pile.

  Mynxi stood over the four of them, smiling while her tail gently waved behind her.

  "Thank you all for playing," she said happily.

  Bella melted completely.

  Elyria suddenly appeared beside Garron. "So how are you paying this time, Chief? We can wait until payday if you want."

  Garron sighed.

  Solara burst forward in a gust of wind, lifting Mynxi into the air.

  "AND OUR CHAMPION — SUPER DUPER MYNXI!"

  The crowd cheered while a wave of groans rose from the losing bettors.

  Keira joined him as Caelan caught Mynxi mid jump.

  "Who's my little champion?" Caelan asked.

  "I told you I would win, Dad," Mynxi said proudly.

  "I never doubted for a second, little one," Caelan replied.

  Elyria walked over and handed a small pouch to both Caelan and Keira.

  Solara stepped in front of them. "Are you two for real right now?"

  "Well, we weren't the only ones betting," Keira replied. "Who did you have?"

  Solara straightened. "How dare you—"

  "She had thirty kilos of emerald on Caelan," Elyria said.

  Caelan blinked. "Then why did you—"

  "YOU BROKE THE RULES, COMPLETE IDIOT!" Solara shouted.

  Mr. Pael approached the group. "Captain. Lieutenant. Can we please have a word in my office?"

  Aurex stumbled over, rubbing his head. "I think I might need to lie down."

  Caelan patted him on the back. "Tell me about it, bro. She got me as well. Sis, a little more gentle won't kill you."

  Keira scoffed. "Not what your mum was saying last night."

  Caelan and Keira began snickering.

  "What does that mean?" Mynxi asked.

  Solara picked Mynxi up again. "See what you two have started. Sorry, Mr. Pael, we still have two more games to get through. Can we—"

  "Sanctions," Mr. Pael said flatly.

  Solara handed Mynxi to Elyria. "Come on, Captain. Let's go."

  "I didn't even do anything this time," Caelan protested.

  Aurex laughed. "Enjoy this, Caelan."

  Mr. Pael turned back to him. "Sir, I will require your attendance as well if you wouldn't mind."

  Aurex immediately fell in line beside Caelan and Solara, walking proudly ahead of them.

  The crowd all shouted together, "Ohhhhh!"

  Caelan opened his mouth to argue.

  Mr. Pael stopped and placed a hand firmly over Caelan's mouth.

  "No, no, Captain. I already have enough to talk about with you."

  Caelan shrugged.

  The three of them walked back toward Aurex's mansion.

  Mr. Pael opened the doors to the mansion, and they walked inside in a line.

  His office was neat and perfectly organised, files stacked from floor to ceiling.

  Mr. Pael took his place behind the desk.

  The door slowly swung shut behind them with a loud creak.

  All three of them watched it.

  At the last moment, it slammed closed.

  Caelan looked at it and quietly said, "Cool."

  Mr. Pael sat down and sighed. "Alright. Let's make a deal here."

  Solara spoke first. "I apologise, Mr. Pael. Honestly, I thought I had mentioned it in the meeting last week."

  Aurex nodded. "No, I do remember that. It's why I went. I definitely remember this."

  Mr. Pael rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, taking a long breath.

  "I was dealing with new follower requests, which took me out of the meeting. Sorry, everyone, it must have slipped through from my end."

  Caelan grinned. "Well, no hard feelings, lad. Happens to the best of us."

  Mr. Pael slowly leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the desk.

  Solara and Aurex both slowly turned to look at Caelan and his dumb grin.

  Mr. Pael's eyes widened slightly.

  "Well, the actual purpose of this meeting is regarding what I will describe as... animal-like conduct."

  Caelan said cheerfully, "Oh, we were just vibing, as sis would say. But it's all cool. We can cover the bill."

  Solara and Aurex's jaws dropped.

  "Please. Captain," Solara said quietly. "I can't protect you here."

  Caelan waved her off.

  Aurex slowly shed a single tear. "I dreamed of this moment."

  Mr. Pael continued. "Captain, with all due respect, can you please explain to me in what world it makes sense the actions and conduct of you and your followers would be acceptable in a place of order?"

  The room went silent.

  Solara and Aurex looked between the two of them.

  Caelan casually cleared his throat.

  "An example, if you please?"

  Solara stared. "No, you didn't."

  Aurex whispered in disbelief. "No, he actually did it. He is unstoppable."

  Caelan looked between them. "Quit it. This is fucking weird."

  Mr. Pael raised an eyebrow. "The Great Empty. Try explaining that if you may, Captain."

  Caelan grinned casually.

  "Well, as you are aware, only ten days prior to the first dungeon appeared. Now that the event served two purposes you didn't account for in your perfect little book world.

  First, my people saw higher limits and what is going to keep coming at us. So they deserved a break before we come back swinging. We all do.

  Which leads me to my second point.

  The people of Virelith just saw something like an egg filled with monsters appear right on their doorstep. No matter how you look at it, each of them felt something from that.

  So, to bring the market back to stability faster, it required an injection.

  Which just so happened to be booze.

  Anything else?"

  Mr. Pael reached for a clipboard and flipped through several pages.

  "One hundred and eighty-seven reports of no shows to work per day. Eighty-six reports of drunken supply teams leaving the city. Eight new groups passing by because, and I quote, 'ah mon lad just let the boys have a few drinks man don't be a—'

  Quite frankly, you get the picture."

  Caelan nodded. "Was it a good week?"

  Mr. Pael sighed.

  "Well, unfortunately for them, this will not be a long affair, Captain. I'm well aware of your... characteristics. I'm here to make a deal, as I said.

  One event every two hundred and fifty days."

  Caelan thought for a moment.

  "One big one every two hundred days. Three minis spaced between."

  "No minis," Mr. Pael replied immediately. "Once every one hundred and fifty days."

  Caelan thought again.

  "One big one every three hundred days. Four minis between. And Whaa Whaa's doesn't count."

  Mr. Pael casually held out his hand.

  "Deal."

  Caelan paused before taking it.

  "But I want to start the clock next week when we do our first one."

  "As long as you don't destroy anything," Mr. Pael said. "Deal."

  They shook hands.

  Solara and Aurex both looked confused.

  "Wait," Solara said. "Who won?"

  Caelan shrugged. "I'll get you a bottle of the good stuff next time you're down, lad. Christ knows why these two are so scared of you, man."

  Later that evening, the Beech & Ember was loud again.

  Everyone sat around the long table.

  Keira leaned forward with both hands on the table. "...no, no, it totally is."

  Caelan rolled his eyes. "No, it's not."

  Elyria sighed. "Revolutionary Day? Are you for real?"

  Braen spoke up quickly. "Stop being mean to our captain. It's a really nice thing. Don't you worry, Caelan, I think it's cool."

  Caelan mumbled quietly, "Thanks, Braen."

  Solara raised a hand slightly. "But there are rules..."

  The entire room sighed in unison.

  Lyra grinned and pulled a pencil and paper from nowhere.

  Lumi watched her quietly and muttered under her breath. "The fuck."

  Solara continued. "...to what did you call it, Keira?"

  "No," Caelan said at the same time Keira announced proudly, "Totally a Christmas knockoff."

  Solara nodded. "Yes. That. Now there will be rules in place.

  First, the captain and I are off limits. No buying us a gift.

  Second, each member will receive a gift that can be recommended to the captain, to me, or to both, at our discretion.

  Third, each of you will pick a name from the hat. You can't trade names, so you get who you are given.

  And you will all receive an additional payment to ensure you have the funds for the event.

  Is everyone clear?"

  Caelan slowly walked toward the table holding a hat full of folded names.

  No one in the room moved.

  He looked around carefully.

  "Stay... staaaaay... go."

  He placed the hat on the table.

  It was instantly empty.

  Everyone was suddenly back in their seats, reading little pieces of paper.

  Keira fist pumped the air. "Yes! Perfect! The person I love most in this world."

  Lumi smiled for a moment.

  Artimage leaned over. "Hey, Lumi, I got you. What do you want?"

  Caelan immediately shouted, "That's not how we do it! You don't tell anyone who you got, idiot!"

  Lumi slowly sank deeper into the sofa.

  Mynxi reached into the hat.

  "Dad... there are no names left."

  Caelan leaned over and looked inside the hat.

  He reached in and quietly slipped a piece of paper from his jacket sleeve before pulling it out.

  "Silly girl. It was right here.

  Now you keep that a secret, and Dad will take you shopping when you decide what you want to get her."

  Mynxi looked at the paper.

  She folded it again and smiled.

  "Silly dad... how do you know it's a girl?"

  Caelan gently patted her head.

  "Experience."

  Solara raised an eyebrow. "Um, captain..."

  Across the room, Lumi had already grabbed a needle and thread and was stitching Katie's sleeping bag.

  "BFF STEALING ASSHOLE! I'LL SEW YOU INTO THIS BAG ALIVE!"

  Keira sat laughing while Lyra tried to wrestle the needle away from Lumi.

  Solara watched the chaos unfold.

  Then she smiled slightly.

  "So... is this what you planned?"

  Caelan leaned back in his chair.

  "Oh yeah."

  He watched the room descend into shouting and laughter.

  "Total disaster, through and through."